The 4-Track Era: Best of the Original Productions (1990-1992)

VINYL FORMAT. Throughout Junior High and High School, Shadow was studying and practicing DJ techniques; and by the time his 4-track cassette recorder was purchased, he had amassed a collection of original breaks and loops. No longer content to just mix other people's music, he decided it was time to attempt his own. The tracks contained on Best of Original Productions (1990-1992) (Volume Three in the three disc 4-Track Era Collection) represent the very beginnings of Shadow's experiments in original song production. Armed with just a Yamaha MT-100 4-Track cassette recorder, a stack of vinyl and an overwhelming belief in the progressive emergence of hip hop music, DJ Shadow stitched together hours of musical thought. Some sketches were elaborate and articulate, others brief and oblique. The common thread is experimentation, but not without adhering to the basic principles of what made hip hop so revolutionary, ie: have fun. Say something important. Add on to the culture, but let your own voice be heard. This music reveals what Shadow was saying at a time when only a few could listen. . . until now.